Martin Amidu said he has been left frustrated by the lack of resources, which has rendered his office incapable of fully delivering its mandate.
The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has opened up on some of the challenges confronting his office in its quest to deliver its mandate.
According to him, he has been left frustrated by the lack of resources, which has rendered his office incapable of fully delivering its mandate.
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The Office of the Special Prosecutor was established in November 2017 with a specific mandate to oversee cases of corruption, involving public officers and individuals in the private sector.
Many Ghanaians were upbeat following the appointment of Mr. Amidu as the country’s first-ever Special Prosecutor, however the “Citizen Vigilante” has so far failed to make an effective impact at his new role.
But according to him, his office will not be able to fully discharge its duties if it is not well-resourced to do so.
Mr. Amidu disclosed that currently he has no legislation and so he uses his common sense to run the Special Prosecutor’s office.
“I am saying this for the public to understand that we have set up an office. We have to organize that office, have the requisite personnel. It does not take one day. The law says 90 days after the assumption of office of the Special Prosecutor, pursuant legislation must be enacted, but as I speak today, I have no legislation so I use my common sense,” the former Attorney-General said at the National Audit Forum organised by the Ghana Audit Service.
He warned that his office may fail to deliver its mandate if the situation does not improve by the mid next year.
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“The law says I can coordinate with other organizations so I coordinate with the Auditor General, I coordinate with EOCO, I coordinate with other anti corruption agencies so as to find a way by which we can begin to work towards the ultimate end. I have warned that if most of these things are not done by the middle of this year then this office may not be able to be seen to be doing its mandate, because by middle next year we are in an election year. If I arrest someone, you will turn out and look at it; which party does he hold the insurance card for?”
Meanwhile, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has called on government to resource the office of the Special Prosecutor and the other anti-corruption institutions to be able to fight corruption and prosecute guilty officials.
“We commend government on the appointment of the Special Prosecutor to fight corruption. To make his office meaningful however, we call on the government to adequately resource the office of the Special Prosecutor as well as the other anti-corruption institutions which already exist, and indeed the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General,” GBA President Benson Nutsupkui said during the Association’s annual General Conference in Koforidua.